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Petri Saukkonen
Petri Saukkonen has had racing in his blood from the moment he was born. His father, Kimmo, was a world-renowned rally racer and competed in the FRC World Championships for 15 seasons, winning 3 world titles and finishing second 4 times. He got Petri into go-karts at age 4, and the young otter proved right away that he had every bit of his father's talent, routinely beating drivers that were much older than him. Given his abilities and his father's deep pocketbook, it was no surprise that Petri broke onto the championship karting scene in 2007 and started winning races right away. By the time he was 15, Petri had won three World Karting Championships and was being groomed for an FGP3 ride upon turning 16. He got his shot right away after Felis UK Racing driver Henry Pelletier was injured in a practice crash at Spa-Francorchamps; Petri had tested with Felis prior to his 16th birthday and had earned a position as a test driver, but was thrust into the spotlight when Pelletier was lost for the year. His first race would be two days before his 16th birthday, but was granted an exemption to start the race. The young otter qualified 9th and was holding his own until a transmission failure ended his day early. Petri completed the 2013 FGP3 season and finished in the points with a 7th at the final race of the season at Hockenheim; however, he was ineligible for points as he was a substitute. He was impressive enough to gain a full-time ride for Felis UK and he delivered a 4th place finish in the final points while becoming the youngest driver to win a race by taking the checkered flag at Monza. 2015 started off with a bang, with Petri taking pole and leading wire-to-wire at Catalunya, the first of three victories for the Finnish driver. He would finish 2nd in the final standings and earn a ride with Lontra Motorsport in the FGP2 series for 2016. Being with a mostly lutrine team proved to be beneficial for Petri, and he would put the grid on notice after driving up from 14th to 3rd in the season-opener at Catalunya. After crashing out at Monaco and Baku, he would return to the podium at the Red Bull Ring but wouldn't contend for a victory and finished 5th in points. 2017 saw FGP2 become Furmula 2, and it would see a star in the making rise as Petri would earn his first two wins at Bahrain and Catalunya; he would once again crash at Monaco before earning a 2nd at Baku. He would win again at Spa and head into the final race in Abu Dhabi needing a 4th-place finish to claim the championship. The otter would finish 6th and lost out on the championship by 5 points. Determined to put the previous year behind him, Petri would dominate the 2018 Furmula 2 season as he won five races, including the inaugural race at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, and won the championship by 37 points. This put several Furmula One teams on notice, and Petri would announce that he will be leaving Lontra Motorsport to take the step up to the highest echelon of furry motorsport in the world. At only 20 years old at the start of the 2019 season, Petri has unlimited potential and aspirations of becoming the next Furry World Champion.